At The Movies With Carlemile

In this episode we discuss the box office numbers for Spiderman, The Mule and The Grinch, a plot point that went over my head in the Jim carry version of the grinch, our review of the new film "Mandy", How AMC terminated my A List Stubs account, How I messed up my tire going all the way to a AMC Dine In theater, our the top Nicholas cage movies and the best 2018 movie of the year!

Lord!!! Have mercy!!!! Anyone who knows me know Iâm a huge Spike lee fan. Bamboozled. Malcolm X. Inside Man. Jungle fever. Do the right thing (etc) I love this man work right here but I never seen his films in theaters so best believe I wanted to see #blackkklansman so I can experience his cinematic work on the big screen.. and I got more than I bargained for. I learned something about myself this weekend. Iâm comfortable watching racism at home, not on the big screen. A lot of times when I see Spikeâs works, Iâm motivated, inspired and empowered. I didnât get that from this film. It has its funny moment, thereâs not much action, itâs a serious drama and as soon as the film starts we in the ugly face of racism and unlike the other films where I watched them in the comfort of my own home, I felt the dis-ease in the rawness of racism. Unlike the film Django unchained where I know itâs a fantasy, I couldnât escape that this is real life (and yâall know I love coming to the movies to escape, Not to relive life ugliest moments). The script is great, the cast is great and of course Spike is a master director. I actually loved the first half of the film. It was entertaining, it was artistic and it was empowering.. but by the 3rd act.. things changed. The suspense was great in the end but once they resolve one issue, you realize they didnât stop everything. The kkk didnât end. It lived on. I think what bothered me is the fact the KKK could watch this film and not see anything wrong. I could actually see members of the Klan supporting this film because of the amount of scenes of just Klans talking shit in intimate settings (like at home in bed with their wives). Maybe he was just showing how they get their loved one involved in the BS but part of me feel like I would appreciate this film more at home. I left the theater depressed. That ending was a bitter sweet one. Spoiler alert, the KKK is still around today and to me, makes the story feel incomplete. Support black films and see it in theaters if you donât have a problem with seeing racism on the big screen.. but if youâre looking for an escape this weekend, this ainât it!

In this episode of "At the Movies" with Carlemile, we're discussing the origins of the series, my reactions to new trailers such as "What Men Wants", "The Green Book" and "Armed", why I ended up quitting Moviepass and my review of the film "The Meg"!

"Armed" Trailer

GVN Releasing has debuted the official US trailer for a conspiracy thriller titled just Armed, which will finally be available in theaters + on VOD starting this September. The film stars Afro-Mexican actor Mario Van Peebles, who plays a US Marshall struggling to put his life together after a raid gone wrong. A colleague reappears in his life and explains all of the survivors of his unit are suffering the same symptoms and there may be a larger conspiracy at hand. Also starring Ryan Guzman, Columbus Short, Jemma Dallender, Laz Alonso, and William Fichtner. . Mario Van Peebles, director of the films New Jack City, Posse, Panther, (those are my top 3 MVP films) Love Kills, Standing Knockdown, Baadasssss!, Redemption Road, All Things Fall Apart, We the Party, Red Sky, and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage previously. This hasn't premiered at any festivals or otherwise. GVN will release Armed in select theaters + on VOD starting September 14th coming up soon.

The Green Book (Trailer)

​When Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger—as well as unexpected humanity and humor—they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.

What Men Want (trailer)

Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson) is a successful sports agent who’s constantly boxed out by her male colleagues. When Ali is passed up for a well-deserved promotion, she questions what else she needs to do to succeed in a man’s world… until she gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts! With her newfound power, Ali looks to outsmart her colleagues as she races to sign the next basketball superstar, but the lengths she has to go to will put her relationship with her best friends and a potential new love interest (Aldis Hodge) to the test.

The movie is the latest directed by Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner, Bringing Down the House, Hairspray, Bedtime Stories, and Rock of Ages) and comes from a story written by Nancy Meyers (Father of the Bride, Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday, The Intern). The movie features a twist where she suddenly gains the ability to hear men's thoughts, which gives her an edge on signing the next basketball superstar. The cast includes Aldis Hodge, Richard Roundtree, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Tracy Morgan and Erykah Badu

What Men Want opens on January 11, 2019.

The Meg (review)

I had to go back to finish @themegmovie, based on the science fiction horror of the same name. I had a good time when I started watching the film at the showcase cinema linden multiplex but had to leave early to record the freshest podcast. What I didn’t get out of Jurassic World 2 (or the last few Jurassic Park sequels) I got out of this film. The plot, as it is, follows a group of scientists who encounter a prehistoric 25-metre Megalodon shark. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew-and the ocean itself-from this unstoppable threat.

It’s not scary as I expected. I thought it could be as scary as Final destination but it has plenty of jump scares. Enough jump scares to give you your fix of suspense. I find the movie really entertaining. Someone said Jason Statham wasn’t a good fit for this film. He has no clue what he was talking about. He is perfect in this film. This film is an American-Chinese co-production and it shows (just like Skyscraper or Transformers the last knight) but this fits with the story, doesn’t feel forced. a presentation of Warner Bros Pictures and China's Gravity Pictures, and was tailored to Chinese audiences.

The film is very cliche tho. At times I feel like I’m watching a 100 million dollar Asylum studio movie (the guys who makes sharknado) but it doesn’t shy away from being the B movie that it is. It does it’s best to keep raising the stakes every 15 minutes before it get stale without ever needing a shot of Jason punching a shark (which for some reason imagined would happened). Directed by Jon Turteltaub, The Meg features English action star Jason Statham and award-winning Chinese actress Li Bingbing among others. Filming took place on location in China and New Zealand. A lot of uh oh and oh shits moments leading to an OMG! Def wish I saw this on IMAX 3D. There’s 6 books in the series. Wouldn’t mind seeing this become a film franchise.